lucindeya's story
by santana the strange
Summary: When Lucindeya gives up all hope of finding any way to bring back the child ruthlessly taken from her by vampire assassins she turns to the Talisman Hie and Riora the goddess of impossibility for a solution. If anyone could bring her son back it would be the goddess who lived to prove the impossible, possible. However Cindey is not ready for the encounter she finds along the way.
1. Chapter 1

'I'm competing in the Talisman Hie and none of you can stop me,' Lucindeya declared to the clan of the Oceanic sirens that morning as she stepped into the dining room. The sound of her voice, her very words caused her sisters pause in the process of them eating their breakfasts.

'Cindey are you serious?' Her closest and most favoured sister Jasmina asked as she got up from the table and came round to her side.

'I have nothing left to lose and I heard rumour that this year the prize will be something even more wonderful and amazing than you can imagine,' Cindey explained, thinking sorrowfully about the time that she carelessly lost the one thing that had meant anything to her actual existence. If she had just been more careful, if she had just stayed in a little more, instead of going out and getting laid then maybe he would still be alive. Maybe he wouldn't have been easy prey for her enemies. She was a worthless woman, in her own eyes.

'Why are you doing this? You know that nothing can bring him back,' Jaz reminded her and Lucindeya became so suddenly overcome with grief that she had to bite her bottom lip to keep from crying.

'I have to try this.' Cindey had tried everything else to bring her beloved back but she didn't know how or why all of her ideas were failing. She had even hoped that one of the witches; the powerful witches like Mariketa could perform a spell to reverse time. If she could have a second chance to protect him, she would have given her life.

Unfortunately the witches had nothing; they could do nothing to reverse time, something about it effecting the present. The grandfather complex or something like that. Killing your own grandfather and not ever being born.

'But…' Jazz trailed off when their leader Olivia entered the room having heard all of the commotion.

'Jasmina I would not have you discouraging our sister, if she wishes to be the first siren to compete in the Hie then I say that she should give it a chance. Who knows what the prize may be? And besides that Lucindeya is as skilled as any siren or Valkyrie alike and if she wins she will bring great honour to our coven and Kaderin the cold hearted will have been defeated for the very first time. That in itself is a more worthy challenge than the former.'

'Thank you Olivia,' Cindey spoke gratefully to which their leader nodded, and winked as she did so. Other than Jaz, Olivia was the only other person who knew of Cindey's grief, of the person she wanted back more than she wanted to breathe. And like Jaz, Olivia too had been so encouraging, always trying to help her with methods to bring back the male.

After his assassination by the vampires, Cindey hadn't been the same. She had become so overwhelmed with grief that she hadn't slept with a single male, and her beloved had died many, many years ago. Just to hold him in her arms once more, she would give anything. And that anything included the ability to enchant any being into doing her bidding with her mere voice.

Her voice was one of the few things she held dear in her life, but she would give it up in a heartbeat if she thought that she could have him back. And besides the chances of that were slim to none. Even though, Kaderin who had also lost people held dear to her was even more excited this year. Did she know what the prize was? Was it a single wish, a wish to defy anything, and to get anybody back that you wanted?

If that was a possibility Lucindeya knew that she would cut down any immortal, screw any immortal to get that wish. She would even kill Kaderin the cold hearted even if that meant a war between the sirenae and the Valkyrie. She would risk anything. She would take her sapphire encrusted sword and cut out the woman's heart, all for the sake of mending her own.


	2. Chapter 2

With the Hie only days away Lucindeya began her training. She needed to become one of the fiercest competitors that there had ever been, even fiercer than Kaderin, the Valkyrie rumoured to not feeling emotion. No Kaderin was the cold hearted for a reason. She felt no emotion, not pain, not love…nothing. Therefore she was Cindey's biggest competition.

'Cindey are you even paying attention?' Olivia asked and Cindey woke from her musings to realise that their leader had her sword at her neck. Silently berating herself she grabbed her own sword and turned to Olivia, ready to show her what she was made of. And what made her different from a lot of the other sirenae.

In her darkest heart Lucindeya was a fighter, not a lover. She was ruthless; she often favoured fighting the vampires with some of the Valkyrie covens than joining the nymphs in their sexual activities. Cindey was fierce; she had cut down many of her enemy without a single thought to how the other sirenae would view her. She was strong, she liked to train every day, sometimes with Olivia, another fierce member of the coven, but mostly alone.

The solitary training she did consisted of hunting weaker, vampires and cutting them down. It was the best kind of training, taught her how to improve her reflexes, and her mortal enemies weak points. Yes this kind of training caused her a lot of injuries that she had to tend to, but it was worth it. If she could only cut down all of the vampires she would finally meet the one that had taken her beloved from her. And then there would be a battle to the death. Would her grief and her hatred be enough to defeat the mighty Grave-walker? She had no answer, but if she trained hard enough she could defeat anybody.

'Of course I am,' Cindey replied to Olivia's question as she flipped back out of the way of the ruby great sword.

'Then prove it. I know you've been privately training with Reginleit, show me what you are made of Cindey!' Olivia said and lunged once more, but that time Cindey had flipped to behind the siren and struck out from behind.

'Point,' she called out, slicing the back of Olivia's ruby coloured training top.

'Good,' Olivia complimented and when Cindey went to strike once more the leader struck out too, their two swords clashing. Yes Olivia's great sword was a lot more powerful than the one handed sword that Lucindeya carried, but there was just one problem with it.

'Point,' Cindey called out once more. The sword she had was defending her body against the leaders attacks but the ninja sword she'd had held in the mini sheath at her lower back had come in handy. Surprise attack! They were Cindey's speciality, and her greatest fighting talent. Yes she had her voice and could probably compel any enemy to kill themselves, but she felt as though it was cheating, as though it made her weak to rely on something that all sirenae had. Their voice.

She was different to the sirenae and she would prove it. She would win this Hie, defeating Kaderin and then she would, finally greet The Grave-walker himself. If she was strong enough to survive the Hie she was strong enough to kill her blood enemy. This Hie was a test of her strength as well as a way of hoping to get her beloved back. She would not rest until he was extinguished. He deserved nothing less. She would defy him a Bride, a heartbeat and a fully functioning body. She would defy him everything he had ever wanted. Even his rightful crown. He had defied her chance of a family, she could return the favour. He would not procreate anything else evil. Yes he had gathered more armies of vampires, those turned near to death but she would not have him sire a blood child. Born vampires were very, very strong and dangerous. They all needed putting down, and she would take them all. She would not even accept help from Kaderin who too had a reason to hate the vampires.

'Beware Grave-walker I have a few tricks of my own up my sleeve and you will fall to this sword,' Lucindeya said as she turned and threw her sapphire encrusted sword at the target that contained his face. Bull's eye, her shot was getting better and better each time. However she would have to take his head, for he had no beating heart…


	3. Chapter 3

The morning of the Hie, Lucindeya was boarding a private jet to a location all seasoned Hie competitors had been, but where she herself had never set foot:

Temple of the goddess Riora, Codru forest, Moldova

And the reason she had never been there was because the competitors were the only ones told about the temple, and they were only told the morning of the first day of the Hie. Although she had tried to focus plainly on the prize, Cindey found herself excited and intrigued to show the other species of the Lore that she could fight and kill as mercilessly as they could. She would show them that she wasn't just a siren who would use her voice to get what she wanted, because plain and simple, she couldn't.

'Are you nervous?' Olivia asked, as she took her seat beside Lucindeya, the bravest siren she had ever met.

'No, I'm excited more than I am nervous,' Cindey said, obtaining, tossing and catching her sapphire dagger in the air.

'I want to give you a gift Lucindeya, and I hope it will help aid you in the coming battles against the other immortals,' Olivia began and when Cindey looked down curiously she was gifted by their leader's ruby encrusted great sword.

'Olivia, please I can't take this…' she began to deny.

'Please, this is the most I can do for you. However if you do need anything else do not hesitate to ask and I will deliver. Great honour is at stake for our clan in this Hie as well as for you. Do not be one of the very first to fall, and sister please do not get yourself killed. I know you are a well-trained and seasoned siren but you have the habit of getting lost in your thoughts of the past, and that is something that the other species will not hesitate to use against you.'

'I have the element of surprise also Olivia; remember we sirens are considered one of the more peaceful women of the Lore. They will go easy on me, hoping not to kill me and I will dismember them. Oh the surprise on their faces as mine is the last they will ever see, it's almost too good to be true,' Cindey sighed and when Olivia pushed the sword into her hands once again she took it.

'You know how to use one of these, use it only when in battle with a much larger foe, for example a lykae or a demon,' Olivia suggested and Cindey smiled.

'Of course sister, but a Lykae has never before even entered into the games let alone gotten at all very far.'

That was what she had thought on the morning flight to the temple, but when she reached the temple that was built from the very nature itself she had to take back her words. For there was a Lykae competing, Bowen Macrieve. The most sombre werewolf that Cindey had ever seen in her life, there was rumour that he too had lost someone very close to him, but not just anybody. He had lost his mate.

Cindey turned away from Bowen lest she feel too much pity for him and that would not do, and turned her attention to the rest of the temple. It was like many other temples that she had briefly visited before, sporting the Palladian marble, with dishes of fire and candles lighting it. But that was where those similarities ended and differences arose.

As she had noticed before the temples lent itself well to nature, and the lichen-covered oaks lying fallen inside showed it very well. The roots of these trees lined the floors and thee roof was a domed skylight with glass cut in patternless designs. It was different, it was odd, it was…impossible, just like the goddess herself.

'Order overcome, impossibility incarnate.' That was Riora's motto and her temple reflected that. There was no sense of order whatsoever in the temple, and Cindey found that she was at peace for a while here and that she liked it. She too was a big fan of the impossible because she hoped to gain the impossible. The life of one taken from her.

Cindey looked up and saw Kaderin on the balcony watching the rest of the contestants with a stoic manner, yet something seemed to be out of place in her whole body language. Was it possible that she could be feeling something, anything one again?

When Kaderin noticed her Lucindeya saw shock light her features before she scowled again. So the cold hearted Valkyrie wasn't so emotionless as she would like to be. Did anyone else notice? And would this new development make her sloppy for the competition this year? Cindey hoped so. But before Cindey could read into it any longer Kaderin turned away and took in the rest of what seemed hundreds of competitors that were waiting for the arrival of Riora. Was she late, or perhaps they were just early? Cindey didn't know but she would wait.

And as she waited she noticed all around her that Kaderin wasn't the only one with shocked expressions on their faces when they noticed her presence. So what that this Hie was all about killing, Lucindeya was just as much a killing machine as they were. She had killed possibly just as many vampires, if not more than Kaderin. If she could she would boast that she had more of a reason to kill the vampires than the Valkyrie did. Well as long as the vampires didn't get in her way in the Hie then she would be fi…

Just as she was beginning to think that she could have a shot at winning this Hie one of the vampires himself traced into the building, looking straight at Kaderin. Cindey's hands twitched, reaching for the sapphire sword at her back. She would render his head from his shoulders in less time than it took for him to swallow.

Especially this forbearing vampire, who might not take blood directly from the veins, but with whom Cindey and all sirenae still had a bone to pick with. Sebastian Wroth, one of the grave-walkers strongest vampires was competing in this Hie.

'Fine if he wants to play it that way then he will be the first to fall and I…' she'd barely finished her sentence when the grave-walker himself appeared beside Wroth. 'That bastard,' she muttered and even though she'd kept her voice low he still turned and gazed in her direction as though he knew she was there.

And with a nod of his head her anger and her hatred and her sorrow built up inside of her. What she wouldn't give to take his head.


	4. Chapter 4

Kristoff stood across the room from the sirenae he so sought. Lucindeya. Her name on his lips was like the sounds the angels made when they sighed. Lucindeya was also his Bride. And Kristoff had spent many, many years trying to find her. He'd been searching for ever since her beloved son was taken from her. And how did he know about her son's departure from her life. Well that was just a secret he was going to keep to himself.

When she noticed Sebastian with a look of taste, he heard her murmur something about wanting to kill the vampire and smiled, at least she wasn't attracted to him. But then again not that many of the Lore were attracted to any of the vampires if the looks of disgust and hatred they were getting were any signs.

The Forbearers. The army that they were did not have a lot of knowledge on the other immortal species. For you see Kristoff was the rightful Horde King and so as a child he was sent to live with humans so that there could be made no more attempts on his life. And because he was raised in a human family, he had considered himself such and had never known about the Lore that he was truly a part of.

And because of his connection and relationship with his adoptive family his army of vampires were Forbearers. They forwent. They did not take blood from the humans, thinking it the cause of the red eye and the madness in all Horde vampires, which must be true, because none of the Forbearers had the eyes that red.

'Bastard.' He looked up when Lucindeya murmured the profanity aggressively. It was aimed at him, she had spotted him, it seemed. His beating heart, the one he hid with a magic spell his witch had given him, leapt and raced faster at the fact. Yes she might have only been noticing him in a negative way, but he would take what she would give.

'Just like that night,' he said, recalling the one night stand he had had with the siren. He'd hidden his fangs and made sure that his heart was beating. He hadn't wanted her to know he was a vampire or that she was his Bride, he wanted her to see him as any other immortal. To trust him, but she couldn't, she was a sirenae through and through.

'Did you say something?' Sebastian Murdoch asked from beside Kristoff and he shook his head.

'Nothing at all,' he replied, hoping the general would relent. Which he fortunately did.

'What are you doing here?' The general asked curiously, it was a different question to the one before and Kristoff didn't mind answering that one.

'I have come to win the Hie and put right something that I did many years ago that pained somebody very close to me,' Kristoff replied and when Sebastian looked as though he would to press for more information Kristoff only shook his head. 'I'm not going to tell you the details, after all we have our secrets now don't we?' he knew about Kaderin and Sebastian's little moment. He could hear his man's heart beating almost as fast as his own heart was.

'Do you know what this prize is?' the general asked curiously to which Kristoff nodded.

'Oh yes,' he said whilst gazing softly at Lucindeya. 'This prize will win me back into the embrace of my Bride.'


	5. A vow to the Lore

Lucindeya heard some kind of ruckus going on down stairs, but she couldn't concern herself enough to look away for her mortal adversary. If she did, even for a moment, he could trace up here and she would be in danger once again, for the two of them were at war more personally than her coven was at war with the vampire army full stop.

When Lucindeya heard marble crash to the floor and other fragile objects such as vases smash on the ground she decided to take a look at the ruckus going on downstairs. A Lykae and a vampire were fighting there, but not just any vampire, Sebastian Wroth one of the strongest vampires in Kristoff's army was fighting the Lykae known as Bowen, a Lykae with a lot of hate for the vampire and with nothing to lose. Rumour had it he'd lost his mate; she herself had been surprised when he had not killed himself. Lykae were rumoured to not be able to stand the loss of one's mate.

'Who could break up a fight between a Lykae and a vampire?' Someone from downstairs asked, a female it sounded like, and all eyes fell upon Kaderin. Yes she could do it, if that was what they were all thinking. Kaderin had enough hatred for all vampires to be able to do it. And there was no love lost between the Valkyrie and the Lykae. But there was something so different about Kaderin since Cindey had last seen her. But what was it? Cindey didn't know, but she could guess it had something to do with Kaderin's shocked expression earlier on. Kaderin's cold heart was beginning to melt, but why? And it wouldn't be long before other Loreans discovered the change in her and set out to use that against her; depending on the prize many of the immortal creatures standing before her today would not hesitate to use any advantage to win the Hie.

It was time for a new winner, and the oracle had predicted that Cindey would be very interested in winning the Hie. The oracle had also said something about her finding her ideal lover, but Cindey hadn't been listening too closely when she'd been speaking about that, no she'd been too curious about what the prize could be, and if the oracle spoke of the interest Cindey had for bringing her beloved back. Did the oracle know about that? Surely she did for she was in fact an oracle. An oracle that had the power to see the past as well as the future. And she saw the present as clear as Nix did so that was always a good point to pick the oracle on: lucidity.

Before Lucindeya had noticed what was happening Kaderin had dropped down to the floor below and was standing between the vampire and the Lykae. Was she crazy, why would she get involved in another's fight? Especially when Bowen had clearly been winning, why wasn't she cheering on the Lykae? After all if she was going to have emotion again then she may as well put it to good use.

But she acted as stoic as ever, probably a hard feat for her with her new emotion, but she drew her sword and pointed it at the Bowen's chest and positioned her claws at Sebastian's neck. If either lunged forward to kill the other, they would both die by her. Cindey decided to acknowledge the Valkyrie's courage and intelligence. She would never have thought to do that herself. No Cindey would have dropped down on top of the vampire's head, and twisted her legs breaking his neck and then she would have sliced it off with her lucky sword. That Kaderin didn't try to kill the vampire at once was odd. But considering the rule that death was not allowed in Riora's temple, she realised that perhaps Kaderin was trying to be cool, calm and collected, and try to remain stoic.

Kaderin had a grip on her new emotions at the moment, but it was tenuous at best and it would soon slip through her grasp and then she would be known as an emotional creature once more. She was already one with emotion and soon all would know it.

Kaderin's voice reached to Lucindeya's ears and when she looked down she saw that the Valkyrie was having a civil conversation with the vampire, and it sounded as though she was telling him to stop fighting because he would endanger the Hie, and it seemed that he disbelieved it completely. When he murmured that the goddess would not cancel the Hie for some vampire, Cindey could see the pain in Sebastian's eyes. He hadn't ever wanted to become a vampire.

When she raised her head once more, she saw that Kristoff had moved from his original place. With her heart beating in her throat Cindey grew frightened, she didn't know where he was. He could very well be behind her, his sword poised at her back, to stab her through the heart. And then he would drain her of all her blood.

'Long time no see Cindey,' his deep, powerful voice called and she realised that he stood beside her, watching the end of the fight down below, his eyes cold and calculating. As every other vampire's was, Cindey thought with a huff. God damn unfeeling vampires, they were as bad as Kaderin had ben when she had been of no emotion. These vampires didn't care who they hurt to get what they wanted, families, brothers, sisters or friends. They just wanted to get to their goal and would forsake anything, betray anyone to get to it. All but their Bride. Cindey had always thanked god that she wasn't a Bride, to be a Bride would mean having to have her blood drunk over and over again and she didn't think she could handle it. Yes she'd heard that it could be a very arousing action, but she cared not. She had too many memories she did not want seeding to any vampire; especially the one beside her.

'I told you not to call me that,' she growled back. Yes, she and the grave-walker had a lot of history together and none of it good. She'd tried killing him countless times to no avail. He had always been just too strong, even though he was king of the supposed Forbearer army of vampires. They apparently took no blood from the flesh, fearing it would drive them insane. Yet they were wrong, at least on some part, the vampire only turned insane if they drank to the very soul, taking all the memories with the blood. A prime, but strong example was Lothaire the Enemy of Old.

'Ah well, I'm daring, so what's going on down there?' He asked and she shrugged. She would not tell him the truth; she would not betray her friend to a vampire, especially not this one. He had nothing to give her, in return. He had no strength, unlike the vampire down there.

'Well if you want my honest opinion, I believe that your general or whatever he has, has found his Bride,' Cindey replied casually though her heart was beating ten to the dozen. She really did feel for Kaderin, with all the hate she held for the vampires it must be so hard to be one of their Brides. She couldn't even imagine what it would be like to be forever fated to a vampire. 'I'd kill myself first,' she muttered.

'What was that?' Kristoff asked and she wondered if he had heard her, and then she smirked. Of course he had, he was still an immortal after all. He had strong hearing so he could hear even the tiny Kobold scurrying through the logs and leaves on the ground. Of course he could hear the comments she made from beside him.

'Greetings Lore,' a woman's voice called out saving her from having to deign to reply and Cindey looked down to see a woman who had all the grace and stance of a goddess. She had a very beautiful face and it was surrounded by a full head of raven hair that fell down her back, it was all very beautiful indeed, but Kaderin had once said it hid a feral and wild appearance. 'Tonight commences the Talisman's Hie, a contest that has not changed since its inception. The rules remain the same and are tedious to repeat every…single…two hundred and fifty years. So I'll give you the lowdown.

'You go all over the world and retrieve for me the talismans, charms, amulets and jewels…' Cindey could barely keep listening to the goddess; her senses were on such a high alert with having that hated vampire standing right beside her.

'What do you want grave-walker?' She asked curiously, keeping her tone cold. She could not stand this being so the sooner she found out what he wanted the sooner she could shove him off this balcony away from her (after the goddess had finished her speech that was, it would be rude not to let her finish, it was the only reason she wasn't attempting to kill the vampire King).

'Well I want to join the Talisman Hie this year, and I spotted you standing over here, so I thought I might kill some time and come and speak to a dear old friend,' Kristoff replied and she curbed the need to slap him across his gorgeous face, digging her claw in. Yes he might have been beautiful; a sirenae couldn't not notice it if she wanted to, but he was very annoying and a murderous fiend above all of that. Yes he was known for saving dying warriors but he turned them into vampires; that just made him even more hateful.

'You? In the Hie…don't make me laugh. Who are you going to stand for?' She asked, after all, he couldn't very well stand for the Forbearers for he was their king. And you couldn't stand for yourself after all.

'I stand for you siren,' Kristoff said making the usually graceful siren choke on her own spit.

'Excuse me, but I have to agree to let you stand for me, and I deny you. We are not friends. I hate you more than anything in this plane and any other known to Lorean. I could never let you stand for me, and because of that you could never compete. You have nothing to offer me that I would ever want.'

'I know what the prize is Cindeya,' he informed her, making her gasp and turn her attention away from the goddess. Now her interest had been piqued. She had wanted to know of the prize since she'd been urged by the oracle to go.

'Tell me,' she urged, she knew he knew because he could never lie, natural vampires never could. But he merely shrugged as though he wouldn't tell her. 'Please tell me,' she felt as though she would do anything for the answer, but she didn't add that bit, who knew what this vampire, would command her do.

'I will tell you, only if…' he dropped waiting for her breath to stop and for her heart to race. What did he want from her? At least she knew he didn't want her to warm his bed. Because he couldn't, he was a fully grown vampire. His heart was dead, it did not beat. 'Only if you accompany me in this Hie,' he said and she wanted to laugh derisively. She would not help him, when she wanted to kill him.

'Tell me what the prize is first and I will decide if I need your help or not,' she said and he smiled a crooked smile.

'Oh, you'll want this don't you fret over that Cindeya,' Kristoff spoke cryptically and for a moment she wondered if he could know about the person she had lost due to her carelessness. Much depended on his answer. 'The prize is Thrane's key,' he informed her and she gasped.

'What? I didn't think such a thing truly existed.' If it did she would have been out hunting it long before now. But then again one must exist for the vampire could not lie. Or perhaps he was convinced that one existed.

'Yup, Thrane's key, the object with the ability to go back in time and change an event to the way you want it to go. Bowen wants it to save his mate, Kaderin wants it for her sisters, and you…why you want it to save your son,' he replied and she gasped. How could the forbearer king know so much when he was supposed to be completely in the dark, unless the Lore had an informative giving him information, but what did the king have to give?

'Does it really work?' she asked, hating the hope that sang in her tone as she did. If it worked she could, as the vampire said, get her son back, but how did he know of all three of their hopes, their regrets and their wishes? He hadn't drunk any of their blood, so he couldn't read their minds just by being so close to them. So how, how did he know so much? Lucindeya would make a note to find out and then she would kill him slowly and painfully, and then the informative.

'Yes and now you have agreed to partner with me during this Hie,' he said smugly and she flipped him off, wishing she could strangle him; he must have seen the death threat in her eyes because he was quick to add, 'harm me during this competition, and you will lose, you will never get to see your son again.'

'Fine, we team up, but I get the key.'

'Wouldn't have it any other way,' he told her and they shook hands, Cindey hissing at the electricity that seemed to run up from his hand to hers.

'I vow to the Lore to team up with you and never to harm you during this Hie,' they spoke as one, knowing that a vow to the Lore could never be broken, or at least it could, but only through death.


	6. The mountain trial

Russian Ice Station Kovalevska, Antarctica

Eight hours later

Prize: Three mirror amulets, used as glamours, worth twelve points each

'Oh no,' Lucindeya told the vampire when they had reached the bottom of the mountain in Kovalevska. 'There is no way on this frozen planet that you are tracing me to the top of that mountain,' she finished. Yes she had agreed to be his partner in this competition, this Hie, but she drew the line at having to trace with him. She would never willingly go into his arms, and for some reason she believed that was what he wanted, but she couldn't understand would a grown vampire, who felt no emotion, whose heart did not beat, and whose pants did not stir, why would he want to feel the warmth of a woman in his arms? And most importantly, why her? If she didn't know any better she would have feared that she was indeed his Bride. But she did know better.

'Do you want the key or not?' Kristoff asked and she sighed with frustration. Would he always play that one with her? He knew how much she desired that key, he knew what she wanted it for. And like the cruel callous vampire that he was, he would not hesitate to use it against her. Not for the first time did she wish she had not vowed to the Lore to partner with him. Unfortunately he had made it too good to be true, and it probably was.

'What am I to do with this equipment that I bought with me?' She asked and he shrugged, as if to say: I don't believe that is my problem. 'Never mind,' she finished and began to hook up all of her equipment to herself. She did not trust him to keep ahold of her and to not drop her down the mountain. Yes only a beheading would kill her if she fell too oddly, but if she fell at an odd angle she could lose her precious voice and that was just as bad as losing her life, after all she was a siren.

'Well, let me just say that my general Sebastian is closing in along the top of the mountain where the prize is and I do believe that he feels gifting it to Kaderin will make her heart melt for him,' at this he paused and looked over at her. 'But surely that is impossible, nothing can make her heart melt. Right?' He asked and she nodded back.

'Of course not, this is Kaderin we speak of.' And they both had a vampire with them, but unfortunately it seemed that Sebastian could trace directly to wherever he wanted, whether or not he had been there before. In the back of her mind, Cindey wanted to cry cheat, but knew that she could not. However she knew that she could use the vampire lord beside her, to transport her to get the second amulet before Kaderin or the Kobold she had passed did. And so, with a regretful sigh, Kaderin held out her arms for the grave walker to take and when he wrapped her up in his arms she felt, oddly enough, as safe as she had ever felt. And her heart beat twice as fast as it should have done. Every single one of her nerve endings vibrated with awareness, and she was reminded of the one night she had spent with that man, twas the same night her son was conceived.

Yes Kristoff reminded her very much of the immortal male she had slept with that night and oh how clever he was with his hands, his mouth, his...everything. Yes they could have been twins but for one very distinct difference, Kristoff's heart did not beat and the man's did. The male immortal that she hadn't thought to take his name. That man was her child's father.

'So, you've come round to the fact that I was right?' Kristoff asked sneeringly and Cindey frowned.

'No, I've merely come to the conclusion that if we do not get one of those amulets Kaderin will get it before us and she will be twelve points ahead of us,' Cindey said, and tried to keep her voice mutual. She tried to keep the sudden arousal out of her tone. If he knew that her body, at least, was aroused by his, he would use it against her.

'Of course,' he said and although he was indeed aloof, he was still oddly enough saddened by her reply. But how was such a thing possible? Cindey had always thought it an irrefutable fact that vampires only emotion was blood lust. And in a flash, as if to mask his sadness, he traced them to the top of the mountain, apparently he could see further than many other vampires could.

When he let go of her she wobbled and fell back into his chest - consequence of her first trace with a vampire - her hands lighting upon his chest she looked up to gauge his reaction and saw that he was gazing at her, as if...no, no, she would not believe it, there was no such thing. If she was his Bride then surely, surely he would not have hurt her as bad as he had before. Vampires were supposed to want their Bride, want to love them and take care of them, not harm them. Yet again another fact that they were the most heartless beings in the Lore.

'Steady Cindeya,' he called down to her and she tightened her fingers, her claws into his chest, even as he tightened his hold on her. She watched as he looked down over the side of the mountain ledge they stood upon. 'Wouldn't want you to fall now would we?' He spoke so softly, so carefully, so concerned that for a moment she thought that the Forbearers could be a lot better than the Horde vampires, and then she remembered what the Forbearers had done to her, and to her coven. They had killed, slaughtered and taken more from them than any other vampire faction ever had.

'Take your hands off of me Vampire,' Cindey spoke the words, but they were tinged with a husky need and her claws tightened as if to refute what she had just spoke. Treacherous body, how thy defy me, she cursed herself.

'Take your hands off of my chest first siren,' Kristoff said and she tried. She really tried, she had the will, but her hands did not. If her body had had its way, and his had been alive, she knew that she would have been tempted to reach up and press a kiss to his cold lips. He was a handsome man, and surely it was her sirenae body that could not separate the body and the man into two different categories, into evil and gorgeous.

'I cannot,' she informed him and he pulled her closer to him, as she tightened her hold, her claws puncturing his chest, she was not meaning to harm him so her vow was not in violation.


End file.
